In-bound telemarketing refers generally to the transaction of business by telephone, and typically involves a multi-line user, capable of simultaneously handling a number of incoming calls. Exemplary in-bound telemarketing applications include airline, hotel and rental car reservation systems, credit card, banking and other financial service systems, and catalog ordering systems. The incoming calls are made by customers to, for example, a toll free 800 number of the multi-line user, and are routed to the multi-line user's facility by an interexchange carrier network ("IXC") and local exchange carrier networks ("LEC"). Within the multi-line user facility, the in-bound calls are typically routed to one of a number of available agent terminals by a private branch exchange ("PBX").
Caller identification information, such as a caller's automatic number identifier ("ANI"), regarding each in-bound call can be made available to the multi-line user by the IXC. The caller identification information enables the multi-line user to perform call screening, automatic call direction and other features, usually associated with conventional PBXs. Although typical PBX's are capable of processing caller identification information, not all PBX's have a necessary data link with the IXC to receive such information. Further, conventional "caller ID" services available for local telephone calls are not provided for long distance calls including those through an IXC.
Caller identification information is provided to those multi-line users whose PBXs communicate with the associated LEC over a T1 line. One channel of the 24 available channels of the T1 line is commonly dedicated to providing the caller identification information to the PBX. T1 lines are able to handle a large number of in-bound calls, but are very costly to install and operate. As a consequence, a large number of multi-line users do not have the volume of in-bound telephone calls to justify the expense of using a T1 carrier.
A multi-line user's PBX may alternatively communicate with the LEC or IXC over Plain Old Telephone System ("POTS") lines. However, conventional POTS lines cannot simultaneously provide both caller identification information and voice communications. As a consequence, an additional communications line exclusively dedicated to providing only caller identification information for each in-bound telephone call may be installed between the multi-line user's PBX and the IXC. However, there is a substantial expense to the multi-line user for the installation and monthly line charges for maintaining this additional communications line.
Nevertheless, although maintaining an additional line is less costly than a T1 line, the installation and maintenance charges may be still too expensive for a large number of multiline users. Therefore, a large number of multi-line users carry on their business and operate their PBX without receiving the available caller identification information.
As is apparent from the above, a need exits for an efficient method and apparatus to provide caller identification information to multi-line users.